I was equally startled by the sudden sound of a child crying. If the child hadn’t cried, I would have recited the spell to corner the man.
“Waa, waa.”
It seemed like I fell asleep faster than usual, but I didn’t sleep deeply and woke up immediately.
“I’m sorry. Just a moment. The child is crying.”
Apologizing, I got up from my seat. Of course, I didn’t really care for the man’s understanding.
Perhaps he was greatly surprised by something, as the child’s cry sounded unusual. Rushing up the stairs, I couldn’t read the man’s face, stained with confusion and astonishment.
So, I hurried upstairs and headed straight to the bedroom. As I opened the wooden door, the child turned this way with a flushed face.
“Waa!”
And as if recognizing me, the child burst into a more sorrowful cry, stretching out chubby maple syrup-stained hands towards me, a gesture asking to be held.
“Hush, hush now. I’m here. Don’t cry. Shh.”
“Waa, waa. Mum.”
It seemed the child was quite surprised as they stood up and didn’t see me. Even the pillow that I had set aside to prevent them from rolling off the bed was pushed away, and they sat in the middle of the bed looking back at me pitifully.
I held the child in my arms and looked down at them. The child’s face was already a mess of tears.
“Hush. Good. Shh.”
“Mum. Mum.”
“Huh…?”
And at the moment I faced the child’s gaze, I realized the true identity of the unsettling feeling I had been experiencing while looking at the man’s face.
The deep, ocean-blue eyes. The same eyes as the man sitting downstairs.
***
Duke Schwaben, one of the four major noble families of the empire.
It had been barely two months since the young duke, who had inherited his title less than a decade ago, was discovered as a cold corpse.
The cause was determined to be acute drug overdose leading to shock. It was murder by someone.
Due to his prestigious status, an investigation team was immediately assembled at the imperial palace to uncover the truth behind the incident. Leaving it to the city’s security office alone was deemed insufficient due to the high profile of Duke Schwaben.
Being a noble family of great importance, the issue lay in the fact that Duke Schwaben passed away without leaving an heir. His father, grandfather were all only children, making it a major problem to find a successor to inherit his title and wealth.
The royal investigation team split into two branches to begin their respective missions. The first group’s task was to find the culprit behind the Duke’s assassination, while the second group set out to find a successor to inherit the Duke’s title. Albrecht, the Grand Duke, was appointed as the overall leader of this investigative team.
Renowned for his exceptional intelligence and unwavering pragmatism, Graf, who was considered a proficient investigator in the current regime, was expected to swiftly resolve the murder case of Duke Schwaben.
Immediately upon receiving the new assignment, Karl headed towards Duke Schwaben’s residence. The estate sprawled endlessly, but surprisingly, it had a modest outward appearance.
“The first principle in suspecting a murder suspect is to find out who benefits the most from the person’s death.”
Karl instructed his investigators to find the individual who gains the most from Duke Schwaben’s death. Interestingly, this directive tied into the second group’s mission as well.
It was paradoxical that the individual succeeding Duke Schwaben would undeniably benefit the most from the Duke’s demise. In other words, the one who gains immense profit from the Duke’s death is the successor to the Duke’s title.
When Celeste’s name unexpectedly surfaced during the investigation, Karl was taken aback. He had never imagined a connection between Duke Schwaben and her.
Perplexed by the unforeseen revelation, Karl recalled a night from two years ago and fell silent for a moment.
“However, Baroness Louisette has been missing for months without a trace. No one in the capital has seen her. Starting now, Team Alpha will immediately search for Baroness Louisette’s whereabouts with me. Team Beta will focus on identifying other suspects intensively.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After a month of searching, Karl finally succeeded in tracking Celeste’s whereabouts to the southern plains, a major transportation hub in the region.
Instinctively sensing that Celeste was hiding in the south, Karl headed straight there without any hesitation.
He didn’t know why she had suddenly left the capital and disappeared. But Karl had to meet her. There was something he wanted to ask her.
“Nobody’s here, Your Highness.”
Despite tracking down all the mansions owned by the Count of Louisette in the south, Celeste was nowhere to be found. And as the number of mansions visited reached well into the double digits, the investigators began to tire gradually.
Finally, in the remote town of Urentum, Karl found traces of Celeste’s whereabouts.
Urentum, the southernmost town, was so small that privacy was not guaranteed among neighbors, which ironically worked to the advantage of the investigators.
The residents of Urentum eagerly shared everything they knew about the mysterious purple-haired woman who had appeared in the village six months ago, even details unasked.
There was no need for further descriptions after the mention of a beautiful woman with long purple hair. The purple hair was a symbol of the Count of Louisette, after all.
“She’s finally found, Lady Cele.”
Looking up at the two-story cabin where she was staying, Karl was engulfed in a strange mix of tension and excitement for a while.
Concerned about startling Celeste with the presence of strangers, Karl dismissed the investigators and approached her alone.
It had been two years since they last met.
As he stood facing her, Karl wondered how to start the conversation. While mentally preparing various scenarios, Karl froze at the sound of approaching footsteps, unknowingly tensing up.
But…
“Oh, just give me a good hug!”
Startled by the sudden exclamation, Karl snapped back to reality.
“How…”
“You’re holding the baby too uncomfortably, that’s why he keeps crying. Oh dear, he’s going to lose his arms at this rate. Who holds a baby like that? Support him properly!”
It was a reunion beyond any imaginable scenario.
“I asked you to hold him just while the water boils. Can’t even do that?”
“Well, you have to have held a baby before to know how…”
They had set out to have a private conversation, but it seemed there was someone else besides Celeste present.
“Ooh, aah, ummah, ummamam.”
Suddenly hearing a burst of crying, Celeste went upstairs and returned holding a baby. The baby was crying with a flushed face, furrowing its brows.
Confused by the situation, Celeste approached Karl, handed him the baby, and instructed him to hold the child for a moment.
Karl’s awkwardness in holding the baby was evident.
The baby, uncomfortable in his stiff arms, squirmed with all its might. It was on the verge of losing its mind.
The next in line to the emperor’s throne, powerful Duke Albrecht, was trying to soothe the mischievous child in this rural cottage, which was quite a contrast.
“Ugh, could you not hold the baby for a while until I warm the milk?”
Celeste filled a teapot with water, placed it on the stove, and walked over to him.
“Here, little one. Have this.”
She then offered a freshly sliced apple to the baby. As if asking why it was crying, the baby stopped its tears, took the apple from Celeste, and started munching on it.
“Just when I thought the baby would sleep after drinking all the milk. Seems like it wasn’t enough. Normally, he sleeps soundly during nap time.”
Celeste continued to elaborate on the baby’s habits, unprompted.
With the noisy crying gone, Karl could finally gather his thoughts. He alternated his gaze between the serious-looking baby sucking on the apple and Celeste.
Celeste with the baby? What an unexpected pair.
“Could you check the diaper? He might have wet himself without me noticing.”
“Wha…what?”
Surely, the ‘wha’ that came out of her mouth was not what he was thinking.
No way, it couldn’t be.
Could there be a woman of such stature, second only to the heir to the throne, requesting someone to check a baby’s diaper?
But Karl momentarily forgot all that. Celeste always surpassed his expectations.
